Naval Air Station Corpus Christi lifts lockdown. Suspect in custody, base says

No shots were fired and no injuries have been reported, according to Navy spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Megan Isaac.
The shelter-in-place order has since been lifted, and the gates to the base were opened for normal traffic, the base said.
Corpus Christi police are not on the Naval Air Station base but were called to assist with traffic control, according to a spokesperson for the department.
The reason for the lockdown is not clear, but the alert comes just days after a gunman killed three people and injured several others at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. The suspect in that case was identified as a Saudi national who was in a flight training program at the station.
On December 4, a sailor at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii shot and killed two people before killing himself, authorities said.

CNN’s Ryan Browne contributed to this report.

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Inspector general testifies about his Russia report

Pool

Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Senate Judiciary Chairman, said in his opening statement at today’s hearing that what happened “was not a few irregularities,” but rather “the system failed.”

“Trump’s time will come and go, but I hope we understand that what happened here can never happen again. Because what happened here is not a few irregularities, what happened here is the system failed. People at the highest level of our government took the law in their own hands.”

Graham criticized the way the media has reported on the IG report, saying, “You clearly didn’t read it. If that’s your takeaway that this thing was lawfully predicated, and that’s the main point, you miss the entire report.”

He claimed that the Clinton campaign was briefed on election interference by the FBI and his committee will receive a defensive briefing tomorrow, but complained that the FBI “never made any effort” to brief Donald Trump about “suspected problems” within his 2016 campaign.

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Republicans think the economy is great. Democrats not so much

While Americans’ views on the economy have always been linked to political leanings, they’ve become even more partisan, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday.
Virtually all of the increase in positive perceptions of the economy since President Donald Trump took office in 2017 has been among Republicans, the survey found.
Some 75% of Republicans and independents who lean Republican say that economic conditions are “excellent” or “good,” according to Pew. This is particularly true among upper-income Republicans, 89% of whom feel this way.
But only 41% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say the economy is “excellent” or “good,” with only 55% of well-off Democrats sharing this view.
Trump has repeatedly trumpeted the strength of the economy during his presidency, with good reason. The unemployment rate dropped slightly to 3.5% in November, matching a 50-year low also reached in September. The stock market has also been hitting records, with the S&P 500 notching all-time highs 11 times in November alone.
But 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, meanwhile, argue that the wealthy have been benefiting under Trump at the expense of middle-class and low-income Americans.
Americans in both parties feel they personally aren’t reaping benefits from the economy, according to Pew. Overall, only 31% of respondents feel the economy is helping them, while 46% said it is hurting them.
Only 42% of Republicans said that current economic conditions are helping them and their families. Some 32% said the economy is hurting them, while 26% said it’s neither hurting, nor helping.
Lower-income Republicans had an even dimmer view, with 47% saying current economic conditions are hurting them.
Among Democrats, only 23% said the economy is helping them, while 57% said it is hurting them and another 19% said it’s neither hurting nor helping.
Some 65% of lower-income Democrats feel that current economic conditions are hurting them and their families.
Generally, nearly seven in 10 Americans feel that the economy is helping the wealthy, while 58% say it is hurting the middle class and 64% think it is hurting the poor.
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Senate will hold impeachment trial next year, McConnell says

Trump issued a mocking defense of his conduct at a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Tuesday night. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump is looking to survive impeachment the same way he built his powerful presidency — by assaulting facts and seeking to expand the limitations of the office he is accused of abusing.

On the day that Democrats proposed two articles of impeachment against him, the President and his courtiers laid down a fresh fog to obscure the evidence that incriminates him.

The President also issued a mocking defense of his conduct at a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Tuesday night — arguing that the charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress are “not even a crime.”

“Everyone said this is impeachment-lite. This is the lightest impeachment in the history of our country, by far. It’s not even like an impeachment,” Trump said.

Attorney General William Barr meanwhile reprised his role spinning his boss out of trouble, dismissing his own department’s watchdog report that debunked Trump’s repeated claim that a “deep state” coup tried to bring him down. Barr also breathed fresh life into another of Trump’s conspiracy theories — that the FBI’s Russia investigation was unjustified and rooted in political bias by Obama administration officials.

“I think our nation was turned on its head for three years, I think, based on a completely bogus narrative that was largely fanned and hyped by an irresponsible press,” Barr said Tuesday in an interview with NBC News.

The comments reflected the tendency of the Trump administration to deflect damning facts and to create new narratives that the President and his fans find more appealing.

Trump’s never ending stream of misinformation, half-truths and conspiracy theories seems designed to confuse voters, and to create ambiguity and uncertainty about the outcome of investigations in a way that leaves even the closest observer unsure about the facts.

Read more of the analysis here:

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Amazon has 5 days to save this big bet

The Competition and Markets Authority said in a statement Wednesday that the deal could reduce competition for online deliveries of restaurant meals and groceries.
“There’s a real risk that it could leave customers, restaurants and grocers facing higher prices and lower quality services as these markets develop,” Andrea Gomes da Silva, the regulator’s executive director, said in a statement.
“This is because the significant competition which could otherwise exist between Amazon and Deliveroo would be reduced,” she added.
The antitrust authority gave Amazon and Deliveroo five working days to submit proposals addressing its concerns. It will then decide whether to refer the case for an in-depth investigation, which could hamstring Deliveroo in the ultracompetitive UK market and give rivals Just Eat (JSTTY) and Uber (UBER) Eats a boost.
A spokesperson for Amazon defended the deal, saying in a statement that it would bolster innovation, create jobs and lead to the development of new products. It would also help Deliveroo compete in the cutthroat market.

Amazon’s UK ambitions

Amazon led a $575 million funding round into Deliveroo in May, signaling that the company could become a key part of its global food delivery ambitions.
Deliveroo operates in 14 countries including Australia and France. It is present in more than 100 towns and cities across Britain, offering online delivery services for restaurants and convenience stores.
The Competition and Markets Authority ordered Amazon (AMZN) to pause its investment in July while it investigated whether the deal amounted to a takeover.
On Wednesday, the regulator said that it was also concerned that the deal would discourage Amazon from re-entering the online food delivery market as a competitor to Deliveroo in the future.
The companies fought for the same customers before Amazon shuttered its Amazon Restaurants business last year.
Amazon’s direct participation would “significantly increase competition in online restaurant food delivery,” the regulator said.
The Competition and Markets Authority also warned that the deal would damage competition in the emerging market for online grocery delivery, where Amazon and Deliveroo are two of the strongest players.
Food and groceries have been a growing focus for Amazon since its $13.7 billion purchase of grocery chain Whole Foods in 2017.
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Inspector general testifies about Russia report

Pool

Sen. Lindsey Graham, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, was asked if the President still has confidence in FBI director Christopher Wray.

Graham replied as he walked into the hearing: “I don’t know, you’d have to ask, I do.”

Some background: Inspector general Michael Horowitz, the DOJ watchdog, is testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary committee this morning about his report on alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The report revealed the 2016 Trump campaign Russia probe was justified and unbiased.

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Republicans think the economy is great. Democrats not so much

While Americans’ views on the economy have always been linked to political leanings, they’ve become even more partisan, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday.
Virtually all of the increase in positive perceptions of the economy since President Donald Trump took office in 2017 has been among Republicans, the survey found.
Some 75% of Republicans and independents who lean Republican say that economic conditions are “excellent” or “good,” according to Pew. This is particularly true among upper-income Republicans, 89% of whom feel this way.
But only 41% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say the economy is “excellent” or “good,” with only 55% of well-off Democrats sharing this view.
Trump has repeatedly trumpeted the strength of the economy during his presidency, with good reason. The unemployment rate dropped slightly to 3.5% in November, matching a 50-year low also reached in September. The stock market has also been hitting records, with the S&P 500 notching all-time highs 11 times in November alone.
But 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, meanwhile, argue that the wealthy have been benefiting under Trump at the expense of middle-class and low-income Americans.
Americans in both parties feel they personally aren’t reaping benefits from the economy, according to Pew. Overall, only 31% of respondents feel the economy is helping them, while 46% said it is hurting them.
Only 42% of Republicans said that current economic conditions are helping them and their families. Some 32% said the economy is hurting them, while 26% said it’s neither hurting, nor helping.
Lower-income Republicans had an even dimmer view, with 47% saying current economic conditions are hurting them.
Among Democrats, only 23% said the economy is helping them, while 57% said it is hurting them and another 19% said it’s neither hurting nor helping.
Some 65% of lower-income Democrats feel that current economic conditions are hurting them and their families.
Generally, nearly seven in 10 Americans feel that the economy is helping the wealthy, while 58% say it is hurting the middle class and 64% think it is hurting the poor.
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The Point: Donald Trump or George Washington? Republicans can’t decide who is better

A new Monmouth University poll asked that very question. And the answers — especially among Republicans — will shock you.

THE POINT — NOW ON YOUTUBE!

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Overall, 7 in 10 say that George Washington was the better president while 15% picked Trump. But among GOPers it’s far closer — with 44% choosing Washington and 37% naming Trump.
Stop for a minute. Read that last sentence again. Almost 4 in 10 Republicans told a pollster that Donald Trump is a better president than George Washington. The same George Washington who led the country’s armed forces to victory over the British, helped found our country and then walked away from office after two terms even though he could have kept getting elected for as long as he wanted.
While the poll question is, admittedly, a little ridiculous, it does provide a useful way into understanding just how rote the fealty is to Trump within the ranks of the Republican Party at the moment.
Republicans think the economy is great. Democrats not so much

Republicans think the economy is great. Democrats not so much

To compare Washington, one of our greatest presidents in the eyes of, well, everyone, to a first-term president whose tenure has been defined by record low approval numbers and a redefining what it means to hold the office (and not in a good way) is laughable.
Except not to Trump’s supporters — or Trump!
In fact, while the 45th President usually compares himself — mostly favorably! — to Abraham Lincoln, he’s also been known to cite his similarities with George Washington.
“I don’t know if you knew it, but he actually ran his business simultaneously when he was president,” Trump said in October during a Cabinet meeting. “George Washington was actually considered a very rich man at the time. … George Washington, they say, had two desks. He had a presidential desk and a business desk.”
And then there was the time in April 2018 when Trump visited Washington’s home at Mount Vernon as part of his meetings with French president Emmanuel Macron. During a tour of the property, Trump reportedly remarked of Mount Vernon and Washington: “If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it. You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”
Make no mistake: Trump views himself as a great man of history. And that view was affirmed — hugely — when he was elected, against all odds, to the presidency. What’s amazing — at least to me — is that so many Republicans have turned into unquestioning supporters of Trump to the point where 4 in 10 go on record to say he is a better president than George Washington!
Stunning stuff.
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Fatally flawed 737 MAX had significantly higher crash risk, FAA concluded

Despite the findings, the FAA did not ground the aircraft until after a second crash of the MAX months later. The two crashes claimed 346 lives.
The document, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is expected to become public at a House Transportation Committee hearing on Wednesday morning, where the FAA Administrator and two whistleblowers are expected to testify.
One of the whistleblowers, Ed Pierson, is a former Boeing employee who worked on the 737 MAX program and raised concerns about internal pressure at Boeing, according to a person familiar with his testimony. Pierson plans to testify that he alerted managers to his concerns about mistakes and cutting corners, the person said.
Pierson’s decision to speak publicly after his concerns were raised by lawmakers at a hearing with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg in October. A member of the committee shared internal messages from an unidentified employee who had urged managers to shut down the production line over safety concerns.
“Frankly right now all my internal warning bells are going off,” the employee wrote, according to Rep. Albio Sires, who read from the messages. “And for the first time in my life, I’m sorry to say that I’m hesitant about putting my family on a Boeing airplane.”
Muilenburg, at that October hearing, said that the company “did have several follow-up sessions with” the whistleblower. “I told him I appreciated the fact that he brought up those issues and concerns.”
“We took a number of actions on taking a look at each of the work locations within the factory, each of the production stops. We implemented some additional quality checkpoints in the process,” Muilenburg said.
Steven Dickson, the FAA administrator, said in an interview on CNBC prior to his testimony that he expects the grounding of the plane to “extend into 2020.” Regulators have at least 10 additional steps to complete before the 737 Max can fly again, he said.
The plane was grounded by regulators in March after the second crash of a jet flown by Ethiopian Airlines.

CNN’s Chris Isidore contributed to this report

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Bloomberg to donate $10 million to House Democrats facing attacks by GOP amid impeachment proceedings

The donation from Bloomberg follows his November announcement to spend $100 million on an anti-Trump ad blitz in key 2020 battleground states.
Bloomberg, a billionaire whose wealth was amassed from a media empire, has also placed millions of dollars worth of television ads across the country to jump start his late entry into the 2020 campaign.
The Washington Post first reported the new donation.
The spending is in line with Bloomberg’s backing of Democratic causes for years. During the midterm election cycle last year, Bloomberg’s financial firepower helped Democrats wrest control of the House away from Republicans, with the billionaire donating over $100 million to that effort.
But the more recent announcements also appear to make good on a promise by Bloomberg that his costly bid would not divert funds away from the Democratic causes he’s been bankrolling for years.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed Bloomberg’s donation in a statement to CNN on Wednesday.
Bloomberg plans to spend $100 million on anti-Trump ads in key states

“In 2018, Mayor Bloomberg was a critical ally in helping House Democrats regain the Majority,” said Pelosi, a California Democrat. “Now, the stakes are even higher as we work to make health care more affordable by reducing the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, increase wages and root out corruption.
“We welcome and thank Mayor Bloomberg for his support,” she said.
The donation comes as House Democrats move forward with articles of impeachment against Trump for his dealings with Ukraine, with the party’s leadership charging the President with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. While Democrats work to move their articles through the House, Republicans are targeting Democrats in districts where Trump is more popular. The conservative American Action Network announced on Tuesday it would expand its attack ads, spending an additional $1.5 million in 10 battleground districts.
Last week, Rep. Tom Emmer, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, predicted the impeachment of Trump will flip the House in 2020. Rep. Cheri Bustos, the chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, dismissed him on Tuesday, saying, “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
But some Democrats are wary of how the vote will affect their reelection races. Hours after the articles were introduced on Tuesday, a few vulnerable House Democrats said outright they planned on voting to impeach Trump, while many Democrats said they were still reviewing them.
“I’m going to do exactly what I was trained to do as a CIA officer, I’m going to look at the full body of information, read it thoroughly and make an objective decision,” said Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. “It’s probably the most serious consideration I’ll give anything that I’ll consider in my one year in Congress.”

CNN’s Dan Merica, Chauncey Alcorn, Alex Rogers and Manu Raju contributed to this report.

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